Water heater



Jun 2, 1925.

R. E. NEWELL WATER HEATER Filed June 15, 1922 mv zghion l 4,.

I I. mflfiw i Patented June 2, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT E. NEWELL, OF IRWIN, PENNSYLVANIA. ASSIGNOR TO NEWELL MANUFAC- TUBING COMPANY, OF IRWIN, PENNSYLVANIA..

WATER HEATER.

Application filed June 15, 1922. Serial No. 568,658.

To all whom 2'25 may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT E. NnwnLL, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Irwin, in the county of lVestmoreland and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in lVater Heaters; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to water heaters, and it has special reference to heaters employing gas or fuel oil, and designed to heat wator for domestic purposes. It will be under stood, however, that my invention is not restricted to domestic water heaters, but may be applied to water heaters for other purposes.

The general object of my invention is to provide a water heater which shall utilize for heating the water substantially all of the heat developed by the burning fuel, and which shall therefore be more economical in operation than ordinary water heaters.

Another object of my invention is to provide a water heater which shall not discharge hot gases or fumes, and which may therefore be operated conveniently in a kitchen or other occupied room.

More specifically, one object of my invention is to provide a water heater including a tank having the usual inlet and outlet con nections, and also having a coil or pipe heated by means of a suitable burner and connected to receive cold water from the lower part of the tank and to return hot water .to the upper part of the tank, and in which the gases of combustion fromthe burner are conducted to the upper part of the main tank and thence pass downwardly in contact with the outer surface of the tank. I provice the tank with a covering of heatinsulating material spaced from the tank to provide a chamber for the downward passage of the gases of combustion, and having suitable outlets for discharging the gases of combustion after they have given up their heat to the tank.

Another object of my invention is to provide awater heater including a tank and means for bringing gases of combustion in contact with the surface of the tank, together with means for trapping condensed water that may accumulate on the outer sur face of the tank when the tank is cold, and for thereby preventing the dripping of condensed water from the tank.

A further object of my invention is to provide an improved burner for water heaters, and for other purposes, having a novel form of tip which sha1l resist clogging, and which shall prevent the burner from over heating.

A common type of domestic water-heater consists of a closed tank provided with connections for supplying cold water near the bottom of the tank and for drawing off hot water from the top of the tank, and also having a heating coil communicating with the upper and lower ends of the tank and provided with a burner for heating the coil.

The most usual practice isto permit the gases of combustion from the burner to escape into the room where the water heater is located, in which case the fumes are not only unpleasant but may be dangerous if the burner is not in proper working order. In some cases, the burner chamber is connected by a chimney with the outer air in order to remove the fumes and gases of'combustion, but this arrangement is unsatisfactory because it produces too strong a draft in the burner chamber, and requires a greatly increased consumption of fuel. for heating the water. Whether the gases of combustion are discharged into the room or into the outer air through a chimney, much of the heat developed by the burner is wasted.

According to my present invention I utilize substantially all of the heat of the burner for heating the water, the gases of combustion being brought, as stated above, into contact with the outer surface of the tank and being caused to travel downward at a relatively slow rate-in contact with surfaces that are progressively cooler, since the water in-the tank is hottest at the top and coolest at the bottom. Such an arrangement produces effective heat interchange and causes the gases of combustion to be delivered cold the bottom of the tank. By thus conserving the heat of the burner much less fuel is required than in ordinary water heaters, and consequently a much smaller quantity of gases of combustion is produced. These gases, being cold when they are discharged from the apparatus, fall to the floor and are dissipated gradually and without being perceptible to the occupants of the room where the heater is located. Therefore, no chimney is required for leading the gases of combustion to the outer air, although such chimney connections may be provided if desired as a measure of safety.

One effective embodiment of my invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation, with parts broken away and shown in section, of a complete water heater constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view showing the joint between the edges of the tank jacket; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical section showing the construction of the upper end of the tank jacket and the insulating cover; Fig. 4 is a horizontal section through the flue coupling sleeve, the section being taken substantially on the line 1--i, Fig. 1; and Fig. 5 is a fragmentary vertical section through a portion of the burner.

In the drawing, the numeral 2 indicates a cylindrical tank having a cold water inlet pipe 3, a hot water outlet pipe 1, and cold water outlet pipe 5 communicating through a cross 6 and pipe 7 with a coil 8 contained in a casing 9., The coil 8 is heated by a burner 10 and communicates through a pipe 11, an elbow 12 and a nipple 13 with an opening near the upper end of thetank 2. The cross .6 is provided with the usual drain valve 14.

Around the sides of the tank 2, and spaced therefrom to form a heating chamber 15, is a heat-insulating jacket 16 composed of an inner sheet metal shell 17, an outer sheet metal shell 18, and a filler 19 of animal hair or other suitable heat-insulating material interposed between the shells 17 and 18. As shown in Fig. 2, the edges of the two shells 17 and 18 are interlocked, the shell 17 having its edges bent to form .curved flanges 20 which fit against corresponding flangesv 21 formed at the edges of the shell 18. The flanges 21 are bent, as shown at 22, to clamp the inner shell 17. Metal draw-bands 23, provided with cla1nping bolts 24, extend around the outside of the jacket 16 and hold the several parts of the jacket firmly together.

Extending around the upper edge of the outer shell 18 is a sealing ring 25, suitably of hard asbestos composition, this ring being clamped between the inner and outer shells 17 and 18 by means of screw bolt 26 which extend through the jacket beneath the, sealing ring 25. and which also serve to hold together the shells 17 and 18 and the insulating filler 19. The purpose of the sealing ring is to prevent vertical com pression of the insulating material 19. The inner shell 17 extends upwardly beyond the outer shell 18 and carries within its upper edge a sealing ring 27 which is similar to the sealing ring 25 and is secured to the shell 17 by means of short lag-screws 28.

The jacket 16 is provided with a cover comprising a circular metal casing 30 containing a sheet 81 0t heat-insulating material which fits over the top of the tank 2 dense on the walls of the tank 2 at the beginning of the operation 01 the apparatus when the tank walls are cold, will accumulate in the bottom of the chamber 15 justabove the sealing ring 35, and will thus be prevented from dribbling upon the floor.

The u )er and lower sealin rin s 27 and y grip the sides of the tank 2 when the draw-bands 23 are tightened, and hold the jacket 16 in place. The draw-bands 23 also act through the sealing rings 27 and 35 to seal the upper and lower ends of the heating chamber 15.

The pipe 11 which connects the heating coil 8 with the upper part of the tank is surrounded by a jacket 40 similar to the tank jacket 16 and consisting of an outer sheet metal shell &1, an inner sheet metal flue pipe 42, and a body of heat-insulating material 43 between these shells. A flue space 44 between the pipe 10 and the inner shell 12 permits the gases of combustion from the burner to rise and pass into the heating chamber 15 which surrounds the tank 2. At the upper end of the jacket 10 is an elbow 45 constructed, like the jacket 10, of inner and outer metal shells with interposed heat insulation and connected to the tank jacket 16 by means of a flanged collar 46 around which extends a sealing ring 47.

The lower end of the jacket 40 is spaced above the top of the heater casing 9 for convenience in assembling, and after the pipe 11 has been connected to the coil 8 a split coupling sleeve 48 is placed in position to close the space between the projecting lower end of the flue pipe a2 and a flange 1-9 at the top of the burner casing 9. The coupling sleeve 48 is provided with flanges 50 having openings to receive clamping bolts 51, and is surrounded by a section of pipeinsulation 52 which is held in place by means of two draw-bands 53 having clamping bolts 54.

In assembling the apparatus described above, the tank jacket 16 is first made up liiil by placing the insulating filler 19 and the sealing rings and 38 betwen the shells 17 and 18, and inserting the screw bolts 26. The sealing ring 47 and the flanged collar 46 are fitted into the flue opening in the jacket, and the upper and lower sealing rings 27 and are secured to the inner shell 17 by means of the lag-screws 28. The jacket is then ready to be clamped around the tank 2 by means of the draw-bands 23, and the cover )()31 may then be applied. The nipple 13 and the elbow 12 may be attached to the tank either before or after the jacket 16 is placed in position. The flue 4:0, previously assembled with the elbow 15, is then attached by inserting the projecting portion of the elbow lining through the collar 16. The water pipe 11 is then inserted :rom below into the line 40, andis screwed into the elbow 12, after which the lower end of the pipe 11 is connected to the upper end of the coil 8 by means of a pipe union The coupling sleeve is then titted around the lower end of the flue pipe 42 and the burner casing flange 49, and the coupling insulation 52 isplaced around the coupling sleeve 18 and clamped in place by means of the draw-bands 53.

Fig. 5 shows a burner which is well adapted for use in connection with the water heater described above, and which is also adapted for general heating purposes. It consists of a body member which may be of any usual or'clesired form, such as a set of radial arms or a circular ring, and which is provided with a channel 61 to conduct the fuel gas or oil from the air mixer to a series of outlet ports 62. Above each of the outlet ports (32 is a tip 63 of refractory material having an opening 64 whichis of materially less diameter than the opening 62. The tip 63 may suitably consist of a mixture of asbestos and a fused alumina product such as alundum or any other desired refractory material, and my be secured to the metal around the opening 62 by means of iron cement.

The advantage of this form of burner is that it is self-cleaning and non-rusting. Any soot, dirt or moisture that may enter the tip opening 64 passes through this opening and falls into the larger opening 62 without clogging the tip as in ordinary fuel burners. Also, moisture entering the tip opening (3 1 will not rust the tip, since the scribed above,

the pipes 5 and 7. The gases of combustion from the burner 9 rise through the fine space 44 and pass into the upper end of the annular heating chamber 15. The area of the chamber 15 is much greater than that of the flue a4: and therefore the hot gases of combustion losemuch of their velocity upon entering the chamber 15 and pass downward at a relatively slow rate in contact with the outer surface of the tank 2. As the hot gases descend inthe chamber 15 they meet with progressively cooler portions of the tank, and are thus caused to give up their heat. Upon reaching the lower end of the heating chamber 15 the cold gases of combustion are discharged through the openings 34 and may be allowed to escape freely or may be collected in a suitable hood and conducted away to a chimney if desired. I have found that in an ordinary tank of domestic size provided with jackets of the kind dc the waste gases of combustion issuing from the openings 34c are colder than the air in the room, which indicates that substantially all of the useful heat has been extracted from the gases during their passage in contact with the tank. I

hen an ordinary domestic heater is equipped with my invention it is found that the burner must be turned down or reconstructed so as to consume not over half of the gas ordinarily required for heating the water in the boiler.

It will be understood that my invention is not restricted to the use of any particular fuel, or to the details of construction herein shown, which may be variously modified within the scope of the appended claims.

Iclaim as my invention:

'1. A water heater comprising a tank, a conduit through which water to be heated is conducted, means including a fuel burner for heating water in said conduit and for delivering the heated water into the said tank, and means for causing gases of com bustion from said burner to move downwardly in contact with the outer surface of said tank.

2. A water heater comprising a tank, means for drawing water from the bottom of said tank and returning it to the tank, a fuel burner for heating said water, and means for causing gases of combustion from said burner to move downwardly from top to bottom of said tank and in contactwith the outer surface of said tank.

8. A water heater comprising a tank, means for drawing water from the bottom of said tank and returning it to the tank, a fuel burner for heating said water, a flue for conducting gases of combustion from said burner to the top of said tank, and a jacket surrounding said tank and spaced therefrom to form an annular heating chamber, the said chamber communicating with the said flue, whereby gases of combustion from said burner are caused to move downwardly through said heating chamber and in con tactwith the outer surface of said tank.

-fl-. A water heater comprising a tank, means for drawing water from the bottom of said tank and returning it to the tank, a fuel burner for heating said water, a pipe for conducting the heated water into the upper part of said tank, a flue for conducting gases of combustion from said burner to the top of said tank, a heat-insulating jacket surrounding said fine, and: a heat-insulating jacket surrounding said tank and spaced therefrom to form an annular heating chamber communicating with said flue, whereby gases of col'nbnstion from said burner are caused to move downwardly through said heating chamber and in contact with the outer surface of said tank.

5. A water heater comprising a tank, means for d 'awing water from the bottom of said tank, a fuel burner for heating said water, a pipe for conducting the heated water into the upper part of said tank, a flue for conducting gases of combustion from said burner to the top of said tank, a heatinsulating jackets-urrounding said flue and composed of spaced metal shells and heatinsulating material disposed between said shells, a heat-insulating jacket surrounding said tank and spaced therefrom to form an annular heating chamber, said chamber comn'ninicating with said flue and having an opening adjacent to its lower end, and said tank jacket being composed of spaced metal shells and heat-insulating material disposed between said shells.

6. A water heater comprising a tank, a heat-insulating jacket surrounding said tank and spaced therefrom to form an annular chamber, means for conducting gases of combustion to the upper end of said space, said jacket being composed of spaced metal shells and heat-insulating material interposed between said shells, said inner shell being extended below said outer shell and being provided with an opening for the escape of gases from said chamber, and a ring secured to the lower edge of said inner shell for closing the lower end of said chamber.

7. A water heater comprising a tank, a heat-insulating jacket surrounding said tank and spaced therefrom to form an annular chamber, said jacket being composed of two spaced cylindrical metal shells, heatinsulating material disposed between said shells, clamping bands surrounding the outer shell,imeans for introducing gases of combustion into the said space above its lower end a cover lined with heat-insulating n'iaterial and fitting over said jacket, the inner shell of said jacket being extended above and below the outer shell, and having sealing rings secured within its upper and lower edges for closing the upper and lower ends of said annular chamber, and having an opening near its lower end for the escape of gases from said chamber, and sealing rings clamped between said inner and outer shells at the upper and lower edges of said outer shell.

8. The method of heating water which comprises passing. the water through a combustion heater and thence to a storage tank, conducting the exhaust products of combustion from said heater to the upper portion of said tank through one path, and causing said products of combustion to flow downwardly in contact with the outer surface ofsai'd tank through another path re mote from the first-named path.

In testimony whereof I the said ROBERT E. Nnwnnn have hereunto set my hand.

ROBERT E. NEVVELL. 

